Local before arrival
Amsterdam natives love going to cafés, but not necessarily to drink coffee. A café is actually a pub where you can drink a beer, read the newspaper, and meet with friends or colleagues. Instead of contemporary design, cafés feature nostalgic décor with plenty of wood. “Bruine cafés” are perfect examples of this: smoky pubs like Café Papeneiland, an institution in Amsterdam with a fantastic location along two canals. Cheers!
